INVEST IN YOUR FUTURE WORKFORCE Sharing Career Stories is Crucial to Building Connections
I
read with great interest the articles from ORLA CEO, Jason Brandt and from Heather Desartis of Northwest Oregon Works (NOW) in the Winter edition of the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association (ORLA) Magazine touching on workforce development and the business advocacy advantages that being a targeted sector affords our industry in the six counties served by NOW. Then I immediately began to wonder… how can we build on this success?
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As the current Chair of the Oregon Hospitality Foundation (OHF), I have been involved with the work that has re-invigorated the Foundation to tackle the workforce development issue head on. Under past leadership, the OHF has brought industry training resources directly to the Workforce Board’s approved list of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funded trainings, with NOW and Heather’s help in no small part.
Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association | SPRING 2022
It was this process that led to a unique partnership with the Oregon Coast Visitors Association (OCVA), OHF and NOW to offer local trainings to help supply the industry with more associates. Our next steps are to replicate that partnership model in other regions. If you are a DMO or an industry leader looking to help us, please let us know. Otherwise, stay tuned for more initiatives and communications on this project moving forward.
